A recipe for game development assignments in CS2

CS2
 classes
 suffer
 from
 a
 trend
 of
 dropping
 enrollment,
 poor
 gender
 diversity,
 the
 challenge
 of
 students
 learning
 a
 secondary
 programming
 language,
 and
 difficulties
 related
 to
 inadequate
 (or
 varied)
 preparation
 provided
 by
 CS1.
 
 Surveying
 educational
 research
 has
 indicated
 that
 using
 game
 development
 as
 the
focus
for
 assignments
 can
 mitigate
 many
 of
 the
 challenges
 of
 teaching
 CS1.

This
 paper 
has 
extracted 
many 
of 
the 
key
 beneficial
 components
 of
 game
 development
 assignments
 in
 CS1
 and
 provides
 them
 as
 a
 recipe
 for
 beneficially
 augmenting
 CS2
 with
 game 
development
 assignments.

 It
 is 
expected
 that
 all
 CS2
 courses
 can
 be
 enhanced
 by
 applying
 the
 elements
 presented
 within
 this
 recipe

Pass Rates in Introductory Programming and in other STEM Disciplines

Vast numbers of publications in computing education begin with the premise that programming is hard to learn and hard to teach. Many papers note that failure rates in computing courses, and particularly in introductory programming courses, are higher than their institutions would like. Two distinct research projects in 2007 and 2014 concluded that average success rates in introductory programming courses world-wide were in the region of 67%, and a recent replication of the first project found an average pass rate of about 72%. The authors of those studies concluded that there was little evidence that failure rates in introductory programming were concerningly high. However, there is no absolute scale by which pass or failure rates are measured, so whether a failure rate is concerningly high will depend on what that rate is compared against. As computing is typically considered to be a STEM subject, this paper considers how pass rates for introductory programming courses compare with those for other introductory STEM courses. A comparison of this sort could prove useful in demonstrating whether the pass rates are comparatively low, and if so, how widespread such findings are. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that gathered information on pass rates from several institutions to determine whether prior results can be confirmed, and conducted a detailed comparison of pass rates in introductory programming courses with pass rates in introductory courses in other STEM disciplines. The group found that pass rates in introductory programming courses appear to average about 75%; that there is some evidence that they sit at the low end of the range of pass rates in introductory STEM courses; and that pass rates both in introductory programming and in other introductory STEM courses appear to have remained fairly stable over the past five years. All of these findings must be regarded with some caution, for reasons that are explained in the paper. Despite the lack of evidence that pass rates are substantially lower than in other STEM courses, there is still scope to improve the pass rates of introductory programming courses, and future research should continue to investigate ways of improving student learning in introductory programming courses.Peer reviewe

Programlama Öğretimi için Bir Model Önerisi: Yedi Adımda Programlama

There are a number of studies in the literature revealing that programming instruction has positive effects on development of different cognitive skills. However, there are scarcely any studies suggesting pedagogical approaches to how programming should be done. Therefore, this study focused on how to do programming instruction that target developing students’ cognitive skills. In this study, it was aimed to suggest a model for teaching in order to develop various cognitive skills of students. Within the scope of the study, a programming instruction model was created, and it was called Programming in Seven Steps (PSS) model. As research design, special case study was used from qualitative research methods. The research team consisted of two groups: design team (1 faculty member from the department of Computer Education and Intructional Technologies (CEIT), 2 master’s degree students, and 2 PhD students) and a Design Evaluation Team (DET) (10 IT and Software teachers who work in secondary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education) in the process of constructing the PSS model. During the research, the documents and interviews with the design evaluation team were analyzed with the purpose of determining the steps of the PSS model. The study elaborates the process followed to create the model, the features of the proposed model, and interviews with the design evaluation team. This article details the overall path to designing of the model, the features of the model, and DET interviews. It is aimed that the model introduced in this study will become a guide for educators who want to teach programming at secondary school level.Alanyazında programlama öğretiminin pek çok bilişsel beceriye olumlu etkilerini ortaya koyan çalışmalar yer almaktadır. Buna karşın programlama öğretiminin sistematik bir şekilde gerçekleştirilebilmesi amacıyla pedagojiye yönelik çalışmalar oldukça sınırlı sayıdadır. Bu nedenle çalışmada, öğrencilerin bilişsel becerilerinin gelişimine yönelik bir programlama öğretiminin nasıl yapılması gerektiği üzerine odaklanılmıştır. Çalışmanın amacı; Programlama öğretimi sürecinde öğrencilerin çeşitli bilişsel becerilerinin gelişimini sağlamak amacıyla kullanılabilecek bir öğretim modeli önerisinde bulunmaktır. Çalışma kapsamında, oluşturulan programlama öğretimi modeline Yedi Adımda Programlama (YAP) modeli adı verilmiştir. Araştırma deseni olarak nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden özel durum çalışması kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın, YAP modelinin oluşturulması aşamasında araştırma grubunu tasarım ekibi (1 BÖTE öğretim üyesi ile 2 yüksek lisans, 2 doktora öğrencisi) ve tasarım değerlendirme ekibi (MEB’e bağlı ortaokullarda görevli 10 Bilişim Teknolojileri ve Yazılım Dersi öğretmeni) oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma süreci boyunca YAP modeli adımlarının belirlenmesi amacıyla doküman analizi ve tasarım değerlendirme ekibi ile yapılan görüşmelerin analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, modelin oluşturulması için izlenen süreç, oluşturulan modelin özellikleri ve tasarım değerlendirme ekibi ile yapılan görüşmelere yer verilmiştir. Bu çalışma ile ortaya konulan modelin, ortaokul düzeyinde programlama öğretimi yapmak isteyen eğitimciler için yol gösterici olması hedeflenmektedir

Evaluating Creative Choice in K-12 Computer Science Curriculum

Computer Science is an increasingly important topic in K-12 education. Ever since the computing crisis of the early 2000s, where enrollment in CS dropped by over half in a five year span, increasing research has gone into improving and broadening enrollment in CS courses. Research shows the importance of introducing CS at a young age and the need for more exposure for younger children and young adults alike in order to work towards equity in the field. While there are many reasons for disinterest in CS courses, studies found one reason young adults do not want to study CS is a perception of it being tedious and lacking opportunities for creativity. Making more creative assignments is one way to try and engage more students who may not feel like stereotypical computer scientists. This thesis focuses in on the effects of creative choice in CS curriculum on students\u27 self-efficacy, engagement/preferences, and performance. It aims to capture the effects of creative choice on a range of K-12 students of varying demographics in order to make CS more accessible for everyone. The first half of the thesis experimentally validates the effects of creative choice in existing 5th grade CS classes. We created two variants of worksheets for the students - creative worksheets and rigid worksheets. After distributing these worksheets, surveys, and quizzes, we found students still feel a sense of ownership with limited versions of creative choice and benefit from a blend of creative and rigid instructions. In addition, student performance was not affected by our different treatments. The second half of the thesis adapted and launched the fifth grade curriculum to a new demographic, teaching the course to Juvenile Hall students. Student surveys and reports from their teacher showed this class had a positive impact and was well received by students and staff. We found students would prefer a longer class next iteration, as this one only extended five weeks. Future work will be needed to experimentally evaluate the specific impact of creative choice in this new demographic

An investigation into student reactions towards rad versus traditional programming environments for novice developers

The traditional approach to programming using text editors is widely used in many institutions to teach introductory programming. These types of traditional programming environments provide fundamental programming concepts for learning, especially in the context of novice developers. In recent years, teaching institutions have seen a trend towards the introduction of visual drag-and-drop rapid application development (RAD) environments for teaching novice programmers. These \u27environments capture student interest in programming by allowing the construction of workable programs within a short time frame based on minimal pre-existing coding knowledge. However, some have argued that these visual RAD environments might not be suitable for providing fundamental programming concepts and syntax to novice developers. This research examines student perceptions towards visual RAD environments in comparison to traditional environments for learning programming for novice developers, mainly focusing on the novice developer\u27s first programming environment. To gather student reactions towards these programming environments, surveys, interviews and workshops were conducted with novice, intermediate and expert level student programmers. The results indicate that while visual RAD environments managed to capture the majority of the participants\u27 interest, the traditional approach was largely accepted as the most appropriate first environment for novice developers. Another finding from this research is the participants\u27 perceptions of the key aspects of learning programming, which also formed part of the deciding factors for the first environment. Understanding the underlying concepts, syntax and logic of the program seem to be the most important aspects followed by interest level and the ability to build workable programs quickly. The majority of participants perceived that traditional programming environments could help novice developers with understanding underlying concepts and syntax better than visual RAD environments. Although visual RAD environments do not require a traditional programming environment at the early stage of programming, the latter would become necessary as the program grows and more complex functions are required. Overall, the visual RAD environment was still the preferred environment for development despite the lack of pedagogical benefits compared with traditional environments

Un enfoque de Inteligencias Múltiples y Competencias aplicado a la enseñanza inicial de la Programación

Incluye bibliografía y anexosLos cursos introductorios de Programación presentan altos índices de repetición y abandono. Con el objetivo de promover mejores resultados se propone un marco de trabajo que incorpora el enfoque de competencias e inteligencias múltiples. La pregunta de investigación es: ¿qué tipo de actividades orientadas a competencias e inteligencias múltiples es posible diseñar con el objetivo de lograr mejores resultados en los estudiantes de Programación 1? Como primera etapa se realizó una revisión del estado del arte, referido a las dificultades en relación con la enseñanza y el aprendizaje en los cursos introductorios de Programación, así como también de los enfoques de competencias, inteligencias múltiples y la inclusión de buenas prácticas de diseño de actividades en el área de ingeniería. Se diseñó un marco de trabajo que permitió incorporar los enfoques anteriormente mencionados, generando un conjunto de actividades que se han implementado en el contexto del curso de Programación 1 de la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad ORT Uruguay

Hindrances to learning to program in an introductory programmimg module

Introductory programming failure rate among students is high worldwide, including in South Africa. The failure rate remains a subject for investigation due to a high number of students who find learning to program difficult. This study evaluates factors that contribute to high failure rates in an introductory programming module at University of South Africa. The study evaluates curriculum, programming syllabus, and personal factors to evaluate reasons for high failure rates. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches are used to identify learning hindrances. The research results show that personal factors are the leading contributing factors, followed by the curriculum and then the programming syllabus. Personal factors relate to time, personal reasons, and commitments; curriculum involves tutorials; and programming syllabus factors are linked to programming concepts and application. The findings have implications for how teaching and learning in introductory programming can be improved. The study provides recommendations for improvement and future studies. Keywords: Learn to program; introductory programming; higher learning; personalSchool of ComputingM. Tech (Information Technology

The impact of learner-controlled blended instruction on academic achievement: A mixed method exploratory case study

ABSTRACT The impact of learner-controlled blended instruction on academic achievement: A mixed method exploratory case study Nancy Acemian, Ph. D Concordia University 2013 To date blended learning designs for university courses range from complementing the face-to-face class experience to replacing parts of the face-to-face contact time with online modules. The design is usually set by the instructor and/or instructional designer of the course and all students use the prescribed model. In introductory courses, typically first year courses, students’ prior knowledge of the course topic range from limited to substantial, especially in a computer programming course. Having all students in such a course confined to the same course structure is unlikely to respond to differential student needs. The design proposed and studied in this research paper thus deviates from this approach. The face-to-face course was supplemented by lecture capture and a number of learning objects available online for students to use whenever and wherever they want. Students chose to attend or not attend classes, and chose which online tools to use and when. That is, they could switch throughout the term between being a face-to-face student or a blended/hybrid student based on their varying learning needs at different points in the term. They only needed to be present for summative evaluations. The study was exploratory in nature, looking at the relationship between students’ attendance records and their use of the online learning tools with their performance on summative evaluations. By examining the most successful usage patterns, the goal was to establish guidelines for students on how to best study in an introductory computer programming course. The results showed that the attendance was not greatly affected by the availability of the lecture capture and learning tools online. Students initially used the online tools to supplement the in-class experience but not to replace it. Of the resources available online, the most popular was the lecture capture (a passive information tool) followed by the formative evaluation quizzes (an active cognitive tool). Students’ usage pattern of the tools changed during the term. Most students started off as a predominantly face-to-face student but many switched to being hybrid or blended learners. Many students never used the online environment and remained face-to-face learners. Of those who did use the online tools, three usage patterns emerged: the distributed user, the massed user and the one-time user. Results show that the distributed user significantly outperformed the massed users. The non-users, of which many had prior programming experience, also outperformed the massed users. A secondary focus of this research was the role that math background played on the performance of students in the course. The literature addressing this issue yielded contradictory results, ranging from having no impact to giving an edge. While no relationship was found with math background and achievement, student’s ability to follow instructions, one of the skills tested for in the thinking skills measure, was a significant indicator of performance. Overall, the wide variability in use of the online learning environment demonstrated that this pedagogical model can effectively attend to differing needs of a heterogeneous student population. Encouraging students with low prior knowledge to make frequent use the online tools emerged as a recommendation for instructors and students alike

Towards a framework to enhance entry-level national diploma students' learning of computer programming - effects of guided inquiry learning

Research reports using global data show that the failure rates in introductory programming courses average about 32 percent. This study assessed the effect of elements of Guided Inquiry Learning (GIL) on enhancing academic performance of first year students in Introduction to Computer Programming course. As learners from schools join the university and enrol for different courses, they find the sudden transformation quite challenging. This makes it more challenging for first year university students, especially in difficult courses such as Introduction to Programming. As times change with advances in technology, the traditional ways of presenting information during teaching–learning interface may not address students’ needs. Lecturers and university stakeholders make efforts to address these challenges by proposing innovative teaching ways. One of the common approaches that have been used profitably in other science and engineering programmes is GIL. It is a form of inductive collaborative learning approach where students are presented with a challenge which challenges them to accomplish the desired learning outcomes in the process of responding to the posed challenge. The strategies in GIL include, among others, learning teams who participate in intra- and inter-learner interactions besides lecturer-learner interactions, linking theory and practical information cementing skills and problem solving strategies, scaffolding information, blended learning by integrating both traditional and technology-assisted learning, inquiry activities such as initiating investigations, gathering data, and critiquing evidence to come up with evidence-based solutions. The objective was to apply GIL to this module and observe if there were gains in students’ academic performance. This study was located in the pragmatic paradigm using action research design and a mixed method approach. The sample consisted offirst year students enrolled for Introduction to programming which was a year-long course (two semesters) at a South African university. The population consisted of the only 49 students who were registered for the module under focus. A group of 20 students were considered for the whole year in the GIL experiment. Although it would students were considered for the whole year in the GIL experiment. Although it would students were considered for the whole year in the GIL experiment. Although it would have been ideal to have experimental and control groups with same number of students, that was not possible in this study, because only 20 out of the 49 who were willing to be included in the experimental group. The present researcher employed willing to be included in the experimental group. The present researcher employed three of these GIL strategies in teaching the module Introduction to Programming to the experimental group while another colleague continued with traditional teaching in the control group. Care was taken to limit the insider outsider conflict. Both groups were assessed by the same assessment tools at the same times. Results from these assessments together with focus group interviews provided the core data for this study. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the data, statistical analysis (mainly, chi-Square and t-test) for the former and thematic analysis for the latter. Results indicated gains in the experimental group such as enhanced motivation, interaction, intra-group social cohesion, creativity and provided students the confidence to share knowledge and skills with their peers and keep everyone focused on the course contents. These gains are reflected in higher year marks and pass rates than those in the control group as the analysed data indicate. A study that will pilot the GIL framework in several universities with different teaching modes and large classes are recommended